Have you heard that all the great domains are taken? The secret is out! Thousands of great domain names expire every day.
Your domain is your website address, a.k.a. URL or universal resource locator.
What domain name you choose is an important part of your overall marketing plan. It should be relevant to your business and easy to remember. Keep in mind that your domain name is your internet identity, so choose wisely.
A domain name is much easier to remember then a bunch of numbers or letters, think of it as the text name that relates to your IP address. When your domain is typed into a browser the name server associates it with an IP address and your website is displayed by the browser.
So what domain name should you pick?
Some things to take into consideration are:
1. Is it easy to remember? Can someone type it in from memory?
2. It should be easy to spell and should not contain more then 3 words.
3. If possible, use keywords in your domain. Your domain name should relate to your business.
4. Do not use numbers or hyphens.
5. Stick with a dot com extension if possible.
Keep it simple.
A well planned domain name is the first step to a successful marketing campaign. Three basic steps that you can take to make sure your domain is marketable are:
Step 1: Make a list of words that relate to your business. Then remove any words that are longer then 10 characters. You can also use phrases if they are short and easy to remember. There should be no spaces in the phrases. Once you have your list check to see if your possible domains are available.
Step 2: Go to any domain registrar and search for the domains on your list to see if they are available. GoDaddy is an excellent place
to begin. A list of alternatives will appear for those domains that are not available. Go through all the names on your list and once done you will then have a list of possible domains for your business.
TIP: For business websites try and find relevant domain names with an extension of .com only. This extension is well known and is considered the default extension that people use if they do not know the correct one. Try not to overdue it and buy every known extension for your domain. When you are just beginning remember that domain fees are yearly so consider the lifelong cost of a good domain. For most of us one domain is enough.
Step 3: Once you know which names are available go to GoDaddy and register the domain names of your choosing.
TIP: Do not pay for hosting of your domains if you already have a website set up! Forward them.
Here is the cheapest ($10/year) and easiest way to set up forwarding of a domain name:
- Go to GoDaddy and register a domain name of your choosing. This is an easy step-by-step process. Just make sure you do not sign up for any extras that they offer you. The final price should be about $10.19.
- Once you have registered the domain (you will receive an email with your information), sign in to your GoDaddy account and go to My Domain Names under the Domains tab.
- Next click Domain Forwarding and then click on your domain name.
- Select Enable and then enter the URL of your existing website in the box. Click OK.
That is it! Very easy to do and now you can use your own domain for all your advertising!
Copyright 2008 Joe Rispoli
Joe Rispoli has been involved with online marketing for over 10 years. Discover the Internet's largest source of online marketing information and free advertising resources. His work at home advertising resources can be your key to online success.
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